Field
This disclosure relates generally to pumps used to deliver nutritional liquids by way of a pump set, and more particularly to a pump that compensates for a duration of time when the pump is operating in a flush setting where nutritional liquid is not delivered to a subject or patient.
Related Art
Delivering fluids by utilizing peristaltic pumps is known. For example, administering medicine or nutrition to a subject can be effected by utilizing peristaltic flow control systems. Typically in such systems, fluid is delivered to the subject by a pump set including a flexible elastomeric tubing loaded on a flow control apparatus, such as a peristaltic pump, which delivers fluid to the subject at a controlled rate of delivery. The peristaltic pump usually has a housing that includes a rotor operatively engaged to at least one motor through a gearbox. The rotor drives fluid through the flexible tubing of the pump set by the peristaltic action effected by reversible compression created by impingement, e.g., pinching, by one or more rollers that translate by rotation of the rotor. One or more motors operatively connected to a rotatable shaft drive the rotor, which in turn progressively compresses the elastomeric tubing that drives the fluid at a controlled rate. The pump set may have a valve mechanism for permitting or preventing fluid flow communication through the pump set. The flow control system may also have a controller that operatively regulates the one or more motors which effectively controls fluid flow.
Peristaltic pumps operate by delivering fluid in small charges in aliquots. The rotor engages elastomeric tubing of the pump set, pinching off a portion of the elastomeric tubing and pushing fluid forward of the pinch point, e.g., closer to the subject than to the source of fluid toward the subject. Typically, the volume of fluid to be administered to the subject is controlled in the pump by counting the number of aliquots, each being of substantially the same volume, and stopping when the number reaches an amount corresponding to the total desired volume of fluid to be delivered. Peristaltic pumps are sanitary and generally accurate and therefore very useful in the administration of medication and therapeutic fluids to the subject. During operation of the pumps to deliver feeding fluid to the subject, it may be desirable to flush the pump set with a flushing fluid to clean out the pump set. However, incorporating a flush operation into the feeding operation affects the amount of feeding fluid delivered to the subject.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,385 discloses a flow metering apparatus for a fluid infusion system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,309 discloses a stepping motor control procedure for achieving variable rate, quasi-continuous fluid infusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,576 discloses a fluid infusing pumping apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,595 discloses a fluid delivery system with deficit flow compensation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,590 discloses a fluid conduit responsively adjustable pump arrangement and pump/conduit arrangement and method, and fluid conduits therefor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,642 discloses a closed multi-fluid delivery system and method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,788 discloses a flow-metered pumping with load compensation system and method.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,099 discloses an aliquot correction for feeding set degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,277,196 discloses adaptive accuracy for enteral feeding pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,360,737 discloses dynamic range motor for a pump device.